Of the global population, are the percentage of people who follow a religion on the decrease? Are how religious they are on the decrease? Are the percentage of people who believe in gods on the decrease?

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

i know were friends and all but please don't equate morality to religion. that is just such a fallacious belief today.

Epsilon: There are so many stories where some brave hero decides to give their life to save the day, and because of their sacrifice, the good guys win, the survivors all cheer, and everybody lives happily ever after. But the hero... never gets to see that ending. They'll never know if their sacrifice actually made a difference. They'll never know if the day was really saved. In the end, they just have to have faith.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

At 5/28/2013 2:32:01 PM, AlbinoBunny wrote:Of the global population, are the percentage of people who follow a religion on the decrease? Are how religious they are on the decrease? Are the percentage of people who believe in gods on the decrease?

It seems to me that of the countries that do have a large amount of atheists (atheists = being non-religious) tend to be more well-developed then third world nations. Such developed nations tend to have far lower fertility rates then third world countries so if my math is correct, then most Atheists live in societies not expanding much while countries with exploding population growth tend to be very religious.

So I initially think that the percentage of those who follow a religion are on the increase due to the sheer number of people being born in third world countries, most of which are very very religious.

Kevin24018 : "He's just so mean it makes me want to ball up my fists and stamp on the ground"
Geogeer: "Nobody is dumb enough to become my protege."

At 5/28/2013 2:32:01 PM, AlbinoBunny wrote:Of the global population, are the percentage of people who follow a religion on the decrease? Are how religious they are on the decrease? Are the percentage of people who believe in gods on the decrease?

It seems to me that of the countries that do have a large amount of atheists (atheists = being non-religious) tend to be more well-developed then third world nations. Such developed nations tend to have far lower fertility rates then third world countries so if my math is correct, then most Atheists live in societies not expanding much while countries with exploding population growth tend to be very religious.

So I initially think that the percentage of those who follow a religion are on the increase due to the sheer number of people being born in third world countries, most of which are very very religious.

China has a a very large atheist population. and a majority of them are irreligious, so that would offset the tide of religious people.

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

Do you believe that united states law conforms to your morality, for the most part?

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

Do you believe that united states law conforms to your morality, for the most part?

Well I'd say fifty fifty, there are a lot of places where it does, and a lot of areas where it doesn't.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.* And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Barry Goldwater
*Except in a democracy it might lose you an election.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

Do you believe that united states law conforms to your morality, for the most part?

Well I'd say fifty fifty, there are a lot of places where it does, and a lot of areas where it doesn't.

So, what's you issue with the statement 'religious people are not more likely to act in a moral fashion, than non-religious people'?

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

At 5/29/2013 11:27:18 AM, AlbinoBunny wrote:So what does everybody believe is causing this decrease?

Materialism. people reasoning is poor, they believe in science only, which means only in matter(without even asking science to prove what it may claim) if they don't see something with one of their 5 senses they won't KNOW it with their mind !

At 5/30/2013 3:26:55 AM, Graincruncher wrote:I agree, less people are making things up. Or the same number of people are making things up, but go for crystal healing and homeopathy instead of sexist wizards.

At 5/29/2013 11:27:18 AM, AlbinoBunny wrote:So what does everybody believe is causing this decrease?

Materialism. people reasoning is poor, they believe in science only, which means only in matter(without even asking science to prove what it may claim) if they don't see something with one of their 5 senses they won't KNOW it with their mind !

Materialism is old news, it's all about physicalism now. You're more than welcome to try and disprove physicalism, but I doubt you can. By the way, there are actually about 14-20 senses. And even if there were only five senses, only one of them allows for sight.

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

in the same article it shows the communist are decreasing and atheist increasing. and pool data is difficult to ascertain the exact figure or percentage. indeed its difficult to say atheism is increasing or decreasing.in the article it seems'

At 5/29/2013 11:27:18 AM, AlbinoBunny wrote:So what does everybody believe is causing this decrease?

Materialism. people reasoning is poor, they believe in science only, which means only in matter(without even asking science to prove what it may claim) if they don't see something with one of their 5 senses they won't KNOW it with their mind !

Materialism is old news, it's all about physicalism now. You're more than welcome to try and disprove physicalism, but I doubt you can. By the way, there are actually about 14-20 senses. And even if there were only five senses, only one of them allows for sight.

Since I'm not a physicist or any kind of scientist, I won't question folks for believing they have such a great understanding of the universe that they think they know the great metaphysical questions. However, materialism, physicalism, big bang or quarks, they are almost magic to me, so I'll stick to agnosticism and not criticize people who claim they *know* things that are beyond my comprehension--same for mystical claims.

[sorry for the hurried response. I gotta catch a bus.]

"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice.* And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue." Barry Goldwater
*Except in a democracy it might lose you an election.

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

Do you believe that united states law conforms to your morality, for the most part?

Well I'd say fifty fifty, there are a lot of places where it does, and a lot of areas where it doesn't.

So, what's you issue with the statement 'religious people are not more likely to act in a moral fashion, than non-religious people'?

Morality is the religion, not the people.Religion would punish immorality, secularism wouldn't.

At 5/29/2013 11:27:18 AM, AlbinoBunny wrote:So what does everybody believe is causing this decrease?

Materialism. people reasoning is poor, they believe in science only, which means only in matter(without even asking science to prove what it may claim) if they don't see something with one of their 5 senses they won't KNOW it with their mind !

Materialism is old news, it's all about physicalism now. You're more than welcome to try and disprove physicalism, but I doubt you can. By the way, there are actually about 14-20 senses. And even if there were only five senses, only one of them allows for sight.

Don't act as if you lack understanding!

For physicalism or materialism, what for our ideas ? do they exist according to it??

They say it is. No need to tell you it isn't a good thing! morality will decrease accordingly, live long and see worse.

According to the the Federal Bureau of Prison statistics, 0.02% of American prisoners, identified as atheist, and according to the Encyclopedia Britanna, in 1995, 0.03% of American Citizens.

"W. T. Root, professor of psychology at the Univ. of Pittsburgh, examined 1,916 prisoners and said "Indifference to religion, due to thought, strengthens character," adding that Unitarians, Agnostics, Atheists and Free-Thinkers are absent from penitentiariers or nearly so."

Well, this is like comparing how much blacks are in prison compared to whites! it means nothing bad about the race of blacks, it's just a sign they're struggling..Same thing with religious in this era my dear.

So you agree that just because someone is religious, that does not make them moral than someone who is irreligious?

Actually when I said My first post, I wasn't talking about individuals, but about religions (Abrahamic religions ) versus atheism , and I meant by morality, not secular morality, but the morality set by God, so well; we may never agree.

Do you believe it is impossible for an atheist to follow your morality?

Of course not, but it just is not fashionable! and as a consequence , he would be labelled as immoral !

Do you believe that united states law conforms to your morality, for the most part?

Well I'd say fifty fifty, there are a lot of places where it does, and a lot of areas where it doesn't.

So, what's you issue with the statement 'religious people are not more likely to act in a moral fashion, than non-religious people'?

Morality is the religion, not the people.

That depends on the person, but I generally disagree with this. In fact, I would cite you as a good example of the opposite of this.

Religion would punish immorality,

Assuming that one religion is correct, yes. But if none are correct, then none will.

secularism wouldn't.

Well, first off, secularism and religion do not exist in a dichotomy. But, have you heard of this place called prison?

"Every kid starts out as a natural-born scientist, and then we beat it out of them. A few trickle through the system with their wonder and enthusiasm for science intact." - Carl Sagan

This is the response of the defenders of Sparta to the Commander of the Roman Army: "If you are a god, you will not hurt those who have never injured you. If you are a man, advance - you will find men equal to yourself. And women.